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Forging talent in Steel City

(FIFA.com) 08 Mar 2012

With FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter about to make New Delhi in India a stop on his tour of Asia, FIFA.com is devoting the latest Video of the Week to the best-known football academy in the vast nation of 1.2 billion souls.

Jamshedpur is situated in the east of the country, some four hours by train from Kolkata. Known to all and sundry as Steel City, and with a metropolitan area population of some 1.3 million, India’s first planned industrial city is now also home to the nation’s most gifted players.

Since its foundation in 1987, the Tata Football Academy (TFA) has provided the nation’s top talent with a four-year training programme, with the very best graduates hoping to be signed by the leading I-League clubs.

Every year, academy scouts closely observe the country’s most promising 14 to 15-year-old players. The ten best are invited to attend the TFA. The cost of a school education, football training and kit, and even a monthly sum in pocket money, are met by the Tata Steel Sports Foundation, an organisation dedicated to promoting and advancing sport in India.

In our Video of the Week feature, FIFA.com goes behind the scenes to examine day-to-day life and work at the academy, speaking to the school’s head coach and to one of the lucky youngsters about the opportunity of following in the footsteps of India’s footballing greats.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy this week’s video as you learn more about the training methods, personalities and life at the Tata Football Academy.